Wednesday, August 26, 2015

ETA: Screendaily has just confirmed that Rob WILL star in the film and posted a statement from the producers about him.

Robert Pattinson is attached to play the lead role in Claire Denis’ upcoming English-language sci-fi film, written with British writer Zadie Smith.

Paris-based producers Alcatraz Film confirmed the casting to ScreenDaily and said: “We are very proud and very happy, as is Claire, about what will be a great collaboration. Robert is committed to the project and we are committed to him.”

Pattinson is set to play the astronaut lead role in the as-yet-untitled film, which Screen first reported on in June.

Plot details are being kept under wraps but it is known to take place beyond the solar system in a ‘future that seems like the present’.

The project, which marks an intriguing change of direction for the White Material and Beau Travail writer-director, is based on an original idea by Denis and her regular writing partner Jean-Pol Fargeau and is due to go into production early next year.

Alcatraz and Pandora produced Denis’ most recent feature Bastards, which debuted at Cannes in 2013.

Denis regulars Wild Bunch are handling international sales while Des Hamilton is casting the project, which is currently in advanced development and is due to shoot in studio in Cologne in late 2015/early 2016.

Collaborators on the film also include Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, known for his Tate Modern installation The Weather Project; astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau, known for his work on black holes and cosmology; and Stuart Staples of indie band Tindersticks, who previously provided music for Denis titles including White Material and 35 Rhums.

The news was first reported on French site L’Express.

------- Original Post -------

According to the site L'Express, Rob will star in Claire Denis' first science fiction film.;

Google Translate

Robert Pattinson to film with the French director Claire Denis For his first science fiction film,

French director Claire Denis has set his sights on the Twilight star, Robert Pattinson.

[Exclusive] Star of Twilight and teen idol Robert Pattinson made some surprising choices for his career. After David Cronenberg, Werner Herzog and James Gray, he just said yes to another popular Directorfrom the United States, the French Claire Denis. For an ambitious project: the first science fiction film from the director of White Material.

She is working on the screenplay with novelist Zadie Smith (White Teeth), the astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau and the artist Olafur Eliasson. The film will be shot in England and in Cologne, Germany, at the end of the year.

This is such exciting news! He's going to have the lead role, as an astronaut, in a movie written and directed by two very respected women artists. I'm happy he's so highly thought of by these talented people.

It's also interesting that the casting director for this movie was the casting director for The Childhood of a Leader and Brimstone. Rob is still at the top of their list of actors to work with, which should be the case since he has such an excellent and professional reputation.

omg yessss!! wow what a great year this turns out to be. and again it is a completely different role to what he has played before. he is always bold and never predictable. i love it! and i also want to say how much i love it that he is going to work with a female director!!!!

I love it that Rob is finding interesting projects. Yes, Marilyn, but I also noticed that the casting director for this film is the same one for COAL and Brimstone. This fact will not deter Rob's detractors from insisting that he was fired from Brimstone and that no directors want anything to do with him. This even though filming of LCOZ obviously conflicts with Brimstone which was delayed and delayed and is still currently filming.